More Chaintech VNF4 ultra issues....

[homercles337]

Here is the basic problem:

1) with cpu, ram, and video i got a post
2) power down and install more hardware (dvd drives and floppy)
3) hit the power button and NOTHING!
4) clear the CMOS with battery removed
5) hit the power button and a brief flash of the power LED is observed
6) hit the power button again and NOTHING!
7) manually jump the power on the mobo, NOTHING!

WTF happened?! The power supply (BFG 550W) is warm so im quite sure the PSU is fine, this has to be a mobo issue. What more can i do to try and get this working? THe tech support at chaintech is horrid!

 

[tennesota]

How much ram did you put in there?

 

[homercles337]

Initially, 2x512 Kingston hyperX, but one of the modules turned out to be bad. So the above issues are with a single 512.

 

[homercles337]

Any ideas? Bumpity...

 

[homercles337]

Why am i being ignored? Did i not ask the question properly? Is it because im a noob? I dont get it. Guess im off to pick up a volt meter.

 

[Trente]

What specific hardware are you fitting there?

 

[homercles337]

vnf4 ultra
3500+ Winnie
Kingston HyperX 512MB (one stick is bad, waiting for the new Corsair pair to ship)
BFG 550W PSU (part of the Chumbo bundle)
BFG 6800 GT OC (the other part of the bundle)
Silverstone Temjin 5

This is what i had hooked up when it POSTed. I have disconnected everything else (SATA drives, floppy, DVD drives) and cant get it to post again. Cleared CMOS, etc. I have no clue what to do! I just called chaintech: "due to the large volume of calls please email us at blah blah" this is followed by "this mail box is full. Thank you. Goodbye." Click. The first mobo i had was RMAed, this is the second, i emailed them when the first one would not post. A WEEK later i got a response. WTF, am i supposed to wait around for a week to hear back from these assholes?

 

[MajorPayne]

MOST of the problems that folks have with the new Nforce4 boards (ALL of them, not just this board) are related to power supplies. The fact that your PSU is warm is NOT an indicator of health -- PSU's DO warm up some when used, but if it is warm just from TRYING to boot, then you have a problem. If you have an old power supply from another system, put that in, and see if you at least get POST.

I am not familiar with your particular power supply, and 550W SHOULD be enough to go with, but it depends on more than just the rated wattage of the PSU. I would try disconnecting everything non-essential for a post (remove all optical drives, any extra hard drives, fans, extra RAM, and anything non essential that draws power), then try to boot -- if you can post at that point, then you DO have a power supply problem.

What is your PSU rated for Amperage on the 12V rail (the most important for most current systems?). Mine at home is rated at 29A on the 12V rail, and does wonderful (and it is a 550W), but I have heard from others that use 350W PSU's if the rated amperage on the 12V is enough. Anything over 20 SHOULD be fine.

The other possibility (since you said you could POST before adding extra devices) is that one of your devices you added has had a problem. If this is the case, then if you post with no extras, just reconnect the extra devices one by one until you cannot boot -- once you find it, try booting with that device as your ONLY extra. If it will not boot as soon as you connect that device, but will once it is removed, then the device is the culprit -- I had this happen to me with a Soundblaster Audigy -- my system was working fine, then one day I could not boot it. I thought it was a dead PSU, so I spent a LOT of money on a new one, but still no boot -- only removing and reconnecting devices finally nailed it as the card -- and it will not work in other systems either -- I had to get a new one, and tossed the old one.

The final possiblity I see here is that your PSU itself died when you added other devices to the system. I have seen this with some, and a cheap PSU will sometimes take your whole system with it. Again, the only way to know is to swap out the PSU, or start removing non-essential devices until you can boot.

Let us know what your PSU is rated on the 12V rail, and try what I described above, then let us know what heppens.

 

[Trente]

Does your SATA drive power-up when connected?

 

[homercles337]

Power Supply

Current situation is that with a MINIMAL install (CPU cooler ONLY) it powers up for ~4-5 seconds then powers down (doesnt matter if i have memory and video installed--same result). I dont have a second PSU to test (unless i power down here and rip it out--huge PIA) so im going to pick up a volt meter. If its the board, then this will be number THREE! WTF!? THe amount that i will have paid in RMA shipping could have gotten me a better board. Man, this total and utter BS! :| Not to mention i have to RA my Kingston 512MB pair! Arrrggghhhhh!

 

[stelleg151]

I had the same problem, and upon checking multimeter my PSU was jumping all over the place, I wonder if it is because of the board?? Your PSU is 24 pin right? It could be overvolting, and automatically shutting down because of it, that is what happened to mine. I turned off the power supply in the back and waited for a while, then turned it on again and it worked. I would definately try a multimeter though, that could be your problem.

 

[stelleg151]

Dude, if three motherboard have failed on you, then I would be VERY suspicious of your PSU.

 

[homercles337]

Originally posted by: stelleg151
Dude, if three motherboard have failed on you, then I would be VERY suspicious of your PSU.

Yea, not three, just two. But the first one was largely due to my ignorance and impatience (bad memory module, so i RMAed the mobo ). Im off to pick up a multimeter. More later i suppose... :|

[edit]BTW, i got the BFG bundle for $499 a few WEEKS back. By the time i get this *effing* thing running there are gonna be some SWEET deals out there. :| :| [/edit]

 

[homercles337]

The board was "mis-wired!" WTF!? If anyone wants to know the jumper settings just PM me. Even the guy at tech support was like "what the hell?"

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Your power supply is a dual rail model. I suggest you swap it for a strong single rail model with at least 25a on the 12v rail. I have seen many problems with dual rail PS's on NF4 boards and high end cards

 

[tennesota]

Originally posted by: homercles337
The board was "mis-wired!" WTF!? If anyone wants to know the jumper settings just PM me. Even the guy at tech support was like "what the hell?"

What are the first six digits of your serial number?
My new board has on-board sound issues; my serial number begins with 050108xxxx.

 

[homercles337]

Originally posted by: tennesota

Originally posted by: homercles337
The board was "mis-wired!" WTF!? If anyone wants to know the jumper settings just PM me. Even the guy at tech support was like "what the hell?"

What are the first six digits of your serial number?
My new board has on-board sound issues; my serial number begins with 050108xxxx.

Yep mine too! 050108xxxx

 

[tennesota]

What vendor did you use when you ordered that board?

 

[homercles337]

Newegg...

I have decided to go with the MSI instead.

 

[customcoms]

Man, calm down. It sounds like a power supply problem to me. A new mb isn't going to help. Buy a GOOD psu, like an Antec, or OCZ Powerstream. I seriously doubt that your board has a problem, since it posts and just sits their. I would wait, try a single rail psu and that new ram you have coming, then consider a new board. And with all the trouble you've had (this is nothing, an average computer day for me when I need to change hardware around on my older systems that I run dual boot on), getting a MSI board might not be the best thing to do. The DFI is on sale at the egg, the Gigabyte is also an option. If you have any intention of overclocking, I would personally avoid the MSI boards, looking at the cost, until more people have them and more people are getting good overclocks (with the Nforce4 boards).

Sam

 

[Kinesis111]

Hey dude, i feel ur pain... I have the same story here... What type of PSU did u use? a 20 or 24 pin? I'm using a 20pin atx 500W (which the vendor said would be fine...) but yet to my disappointment, i get NOTHING as well, no power up at all... I have built a couple of pc's before myself, but this one stumped me. What are the complications with the newer power supplies? And what did u mention about jumper settings?? Please, any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Kinesis111]

Sorry, my post was aimed at homercles's issue with the Chaintech VNF4 mobo!

Thanks

 

[realprostunna]

I'm having the exact same problem. I just built a computer with the following specs:

Chaintech NFV4
A64 3500+
1GB Corsair Value RAM
Radeon X800XL

I used a stock case PSU (rated at 500W) and the green LED would flash for under a second when I flicked the power switch on the PSU. So I thought the PSU wasn't good enough or something and I bought a Antec True Power 430W PSU. But still, the same thing's happening: flicking on the power switch on the PSU causes a brief LED flash but then there's still no power. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.